


The Lady's Favor

by bzarcher



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Memories, Podfic Welcome, Seaside, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 20:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7985692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzarcher/pseuds/bzarcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reinhardt enjoys a quiet afternoon in the Gibraltar sun, with an old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lady's Favor

Reinhardt had always loved the sea cliffs of Gibraltar. After spending hours on the battlefield within his Crusader, it was good to feel the warmth of sun on his skin, and the tang of sea air filling his nose. One could never get too much Vitamin D, after all.

Many years before, he’d used some down time and skills he’d learned as a younger man to build an oversized wooden deck chair that could support his massive frame, and serve as a suitable rest for Winston if his similarly built colleague wished to take in a bit of sun. Flanked by somewhat smaller chairs on either side, it had been a pleasant little spot, giving the Watchpoint’s personnel an opportunity to let their battles go and simply enjoy the beauty around them.

When they’d begun to clear out the outbuildings and hangars that had been stuffed full of crates and miscellany before the site was officially mothballed, he’d been delighted to find the chairs intact. In need of a good dusting, and perhaps a bit of fresh paint, but simple enough for him to accomplish.

Basking in the late afternoon sun, he sipped from a water bottle he’d taken from the kitchen, and had just begun to consider the merits of a brief nap when he heard the sound of soft footsteps behind him.

His lips creased up into a smile, and he shifted to look over with his good eye. “How lucky I am, to be joined by a beauty as radiant as the sun.”

Ana chuckled, a twinkle in her eye, as she settled into the chair on his right. “Flatterer. I thought I might find you out here.” She’d removed her cloak and armor, trading her usual battle dress for a loose, flowing dress in cream and greys that complimented the silver of her braid as it spilled down her shoulder from the side of her blue hijab.

Reinhardt couldn’t help but remember another afternoon much like this, many years ago, when she joined him to watch the sunset from these very cliffs. That day, she’d come from a battlefield, peeling off her body armor and dropping her beret at the side of the chair, her sweat soaked undershirt clinging to her torso, the smell of gunpowder still lingering in her hair.

She had been stunning. One of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, before or since.

How little things had changed.

While his mind had drifted back to pleasant memories, she’d produced a thermos and teacups from somewhere, setting the cups on the wide arm of her chair. The sound of tea being poured brought him back, and he sat up a bit straighter as she offered him a cup.

“ _Danke, mein schatz._ ” The tea was warm but not hot, pleasant as the shadows lengthened around them, and the sweet flavor of mint was almost as refreshing as the company he drank it with.

“Of course, _baladi al’asad._ ”

They drank in comfortable silence for a while, before Ana raised a new topic. “I ran into Brigette this morning coming out of Torbjörn’s shop. She said I should have you tell me the story about the dragons?”

“Ah! That was a little adventure we had, not long before Winston sent out his recall.”

Ana smiled. “Oh, just a little adventure? Not against a real dragon, I trust?”

Reinhardt chuckled. “Once, I would have been sad to say there were no such beasts – but then I met our friends from Japan.” Ana smirked at that, and he took a sip of tea before going on. “But, no, these dragons were nothing so lofty as that. Merely a group of thieves and cowards who were trying to extort a town we found ourselves passing through.”

“I see,” Ana smiled over the rim of her teacup, “And I assume you put a stop to that?”

“Justice will be done,” he answered, though his smile faded. “Though it was not as easy as I would have liked. When Brigette and I first encountered them, they held a child hostage, forcing me to stay my hand.”

Ana’s eye hardened for a moment, and he could easily imagine her gazing through the scope of a rifle in that moment. “Bastards.”

Reinhardt nodded, his own expression grave, but it quickly lightened. “Once I was able to track them back to the hole they’d been hiding in, I made sure their end was swift. I cast them out of their den, and made sure they would never return.”

“Good,” Ana nodded, her expression softening. “That’s well done. But tell me…just how many of these little adventures did you have while I was away?”

“More than a few,” Reinhardt admitted, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Rubbing a hand against the back of his head, he looked away for a long moment, his heart unexpectedly bashful. “When you were…gone…there were many where I hoped you were watching over me as I fought. But there were others I hoped you would not see.”

He felt her hand in his, warm and strong, and his eyes closed. His voice was quieter, now. Nothing like the boisterous warrior they so often expected him to be. “There was a time, after Zurich, where I did little more than despair. We had lost our way – and I had lost so much.” Her fingers tightened, and his own squeezed back, speaking without words.

“I began to drink. Not just a _kolsch_ or two. I wanted to crawl inside of a bottle and forget myself.”

Ana’s response wasn’t in words. He felt her warmth against him, her other arm sliding around his waist. Tears he hadn’t known he needed to shed pricked at his eyes. “I am not proud of what I became, for a time.”

“But you found your way back.”

“Yes. Brigette deserves a fair share of the credit for that. She saw the hero I could still be, and with her help, I was able to fight for what was right, once again.”

“Then I am very grateful to her, for saving you.”

Ana leaned back slightly, and not for the first time he wondered at the strange quirk of fate that their battles had cost his left eye, and her right. Each with one good eye to appreciate the other. Her face lined with age, but still filled with beauty, her gaze sparkling with wit and wisdom that had seemed beyond her years.  

“Your heart has always been so great, _habibi_. It’s what I have always loved about you – and it’s the one thing your shield cannot cover.” Her lips are soft as they brush his forehead, and a sigh rumbles through him. “I will always be there for you, my bravest one, to protect your heart. I promise you that.”

There’s a rustle of fabric as Ana’s fingers deftly undo the knot of her hijab, and Reinhardt could feel his eyes widen as she gently drapes the cloth around his shoulders. A loose tie settles it around his neck, and a moment later her body is against his again, their hands entwined once more.

For a moment, he wants to speak – to tell her how honored he is by this gift, and the promise it embodies. But there is more than he can express in just words. More than he could say if he had a second lifetime to share with her. He gently brushes a kiss against her hair. She smells of mint and rosewater, today, and this memory they are making is just as dear to him as that long ago afternoon on these cliffs.

Years ago, they watched the sunset from these chairs. They spent a night together, stealing precious moments for themselves, and many hours later they watched the sun rise as she rested in his arms, knowing that duty would call for them all too soon.

Today, they watch as the sun boils away beneath the ocean waves, and dusk starts to settle around them. Their eyes meet, and a mischievous glint is in Ana’s eye before there is no distance between them, her arm around his neck, his fingers stroking her back.

Reinhardt isn’t sure if she has quite the same plans for this sunset – but he’s looking forward to finding out.

**Author's Note:**

> Mein Schatz - "my treasure"
> 
> Baladi al'asad - "my handsome lion"
> 
> Habibi - "my love" 
> 
> I think I got all of these right, but if any Egyptian Arabic or German speakers want to correct me, please do! 
> 
> This started in a totally different direction and took a big left turn on me - hopefully people will enjoy it!


End file.
